1911 Buffers, Opinions?

[M60Gunner]

SHOK-BUFF, RECOIL BUFFERS, 1911, PACKAGE OF 6

Our 6 pack of SHOK-BUFF® recoil buffers is a great and effective solution to protecting your 1911 style pistol during recoil, as it places a 1/10" thick poly fiber buffer between the slide and frame contact areas.

wilsoncombat.com

To all the 1911 gurus, I have a grail gun (to me) which is a Colt Gold Cup National Match in stainless with extended slide release and magazine release, and it came with a buffer which was showing wear, so I replaced it. Is it really necessary? Does it save wear on the pistol? I feel if it comes apart it may do even more damage, but they are plastic and rubber while the gun is all stainless. What say you??

 

[Bowhntr6pt]

Chevy vs. Ford

Some will swear by them, some will say the little bit of lost slide travel can cause some problems in some guns.

I used them at one time, I no longer see a need or benefit.

 

[Smith_586]

They are supposed to mitigate recoil in most instances. But it’s not necessary. I own quite a few higher end 1911s and it doesn’t make a difference. Usually trouble free without having it versus having it. Ymmv

 

[G-rat]

these will cause malfunction as they degrade and fall apart in your 1911... completely not needed. just a gimmick and they do sell a bunch of them. notice how they come in a six pack? i guess if it was a Colt Delta Elite i might bother but in .45acp, leave it the wat JMB intended.

 

[rossi]

The thin ones in my opinion do save some wear. Mine were 90 duramater neoprene. I experienced no malfunctions.

 

[RHINOWSO]

A friend set me up with some light 185gr reloads and suggested a lighter recoil spring and a buffer for my Colt Government Model. It works well enough as I'm not a 1911 guy, but if I shot it more / went to factory FMJ, I'd likely put the OEM stuff back in. I think I have 75-100 rds of the reloads left, so in 3-5 years when I'm done with that stuff I'll switch back.

 

[Tige]

John Moses Browning did not use them. Neither do I.

 

[rossi]

https://www.1911forum.com/threads/who-makes-the-thinniest-shock-buffer.311922/

 

[M60Gunner]

Thanks for all the replies. It is the most accurate pistol I have ever shot.

 

[rossi]

The thin ones in my opinion do save some wear. Mine were 90 duramater neoprene. I experienced no malfunctions.

Correction...Urethane

 

[fla kid]

I used a buffer on my goldcup for the range but NOT for carry never had one come apart

 

[BluesBrother]

What is effected when a buffer is not used? The frame? Can it get damaged? Ah, yes it can. I use the buffers but I'm not anal about it. I've never had a malfunction. I never wear them out and I certainly would change them out before they shred. If I use ammunition that is consistent with the load JMB intended, and use the proper recoil spring for the load, than not so much. But there are some very HOT loads available these days. Federal HST, Speer Gold Dot, Buffalo Bore, just to name a few. JMB did not engineer the 1911 for a steady diet of +P loads or 10MM or 45 Super or 460 Roland or ya da ya da ya da. If you use common sense which I know this group has an abundance of, than choose to use a buffer or not based on the ammo you use. How much money, emotion, history do you have tied up in that Gold Cup or you name the 1911? An above average 1911 will cost $2K+. I was reading the other day where a guy ran over his AR15. A use that Eugene Stoner did not built into the gun. I don't know how it happened but it did. Anyway, I bet the guy would give anything to have made a different choice in propping that gun against what he did. (probably a tire)

 

[Bodhisattva]

The idea behind them is to lessen frame battering during the recoil cycle. I have used them in the past on full size guns, but not Commanders. I have found that going up in strength on recoil springs is a better solution than the buffer. For example, standard recoil spring weight is 16lbs in a Government model, so I just bump up to a 18’ and change after 3k rounds or so. Better to control that momentum from the initial firing rather than have a rubber washer ready to receive that full impact. Heavier recoil spring means the unlocking is delayed until the chamber pressure drops, hence no damage to frame since the slide is at a slower velocity when it hits the frame.

 

[BluesBrother]

The idea behind them is to lessen frame battering during the recoil cycle. I have used them in the past on full size guns, but not Commanders. I have found that going up in strength on recoil springs is a better solution than the buffer. For example, standard recoil spring weight is 16lbs in a Government model, so I just bump up to a 18’ and change after 3k rounds or so. Better to control that momentum from the initial firing rather than have a rubber washer ready to receive that full impact. Heavier recoil spring means the unlocking is delayed until the chamber pressure drops, hence no damage to frame since the slide is at a slower velocity when it hits the frame.

Increasing the recoil spring weight is a different way around the barn for sure. I believe JMB got it right over 100 years ago. IMO If you want to up your caliber or ballistics there is modern equipment and materials that can do that. There are folks that can not rack the higher weight recoil spring. Full size, Commander size the frame still takes a beating if you use ammo the gun is not designed for.